The Majin of Shinobi
by Whispers in your head
Summary: After an attack on his birthday, Naruto discovers a few things left out of the history books. Under the tutelage of Kyuubi, he leaves Konoha for three years, returning for the genin team formations. Not NaruXKyuu. Pairings later, but listed inside.
1. Rebirth

Author's Note: Well, hello everyone. I have a few things to say before I start the story, the first of which is to the readers of my other story, "The Collapse of Dreams". TCD is currently on a temporary hiatus. I read back through it and was honestly horrified at how much my fiction-writing skills have decreased since my underclassman days in high school. I'm re-writing the story, fixing errors, and I'll notify everyone once I've started uploading the changed chapters. However, I got this little brain-child stuck in my head, and I decided to use it as practice. I'll try the waters with this story before I do any major work on TCD, but don't worry, TCD is my grand-baby of stories. I haven't even gotten to the meat of the story, and I'm not going to abandon my creative baby that I'm more proud of than any of the dozens of fanfiction ideas that have passed through my head.

Now, the second note, which applies to everyone. This is an eventual Naruto/Karin pairing. I didn't overly want to spoil that, but I've seen what happens when an author leaves their protagonist's pairing to be revealed or decided later. They usually get ass-loads of reviews asking for a different pairing, and as much as I love the readers (those who take the effort to review, at least. It takes less than a minute. Do it, or the bunny gets it.), I want to get the potential for non-fiction drama out of the way. Other pairings will be revealed as they come into play, and I'll gladly listen to requests for other pairings, so long as the character doesn't have a definite pairing later.

The third and last note is that this story is a definite smart-Naruto story. He won't have always been smart (he becomes smart, he wasn't hiding any intelligence in this story), and this won't be exactly a super-Naruto story. He'll have the ability to maybe scratch Itachi when he first meets him, but through ninja trickery. He won't "uber-pwn" his ass with any flashy, gigantic jutsu. Also, I've moved the academy graduation age to thirteen, so as to give a little extra time for pre-genin development without making them too much older than the canon graduation age.

Disclaimer: If I actually owned Naruto, the characters, plots, or etcetera, Uchiha Sasuke would find himself on the more unpleasant end of some good old-fashioned tentacle rape.

"desu" - speech

'_tacos and burritos' –_ thinking/ mental communication, jutsu, and named skills

_Dear so-and-so_ – letters/written words

"**Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"** - demon/summon speech

Oh, yes, one last note about the title of this story, and I promise future author's notes won't be as long. The word majin has two meanings; "demon/magic man" is one, but this story refers to the other meaning, which is "demon god". It's a reference to how Sarutobi is called the god of shinobi, and Naruto, idolizing the man who is said to be the pinnacle of a ninja, wishes to become his own equivalent.

Now, let us begin.

* * *

Chapter one: Rebirth

It was a beautiful autumn night. The crisp, clean air was filled with the smell of wood smoke. The leaves danced in the breeze, orange and red like flames in the land of fire, and in the village hidden in the leaves, Konohagakure no Sato, the sounds of a celebration could be heard for kilometers around.

However, one little boy was not participating in the games and assorted revelries of the evening. He never did. One would think that a boy who was designated by the greatest hero in the history of the village as a greater hero than even him would be accepted as such. No, he was always the demon brat. Currently, he was laying broken in a damp, dirty alleyway.

He lay there, seemingly looking at the wooden wall beside him, splintered in one spot where he had dodged a swipe from a club. They didn't do this every day, just every year on his birthday, the same day as the death of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko.

Why did they do this? He had no idea. Looking up at the beautifully starry sky, he chuckled a sad chuckle. He'd learned not to cry long ago. However, tears trickled down one side of his face.

_'Why did they have to take an eye this time? What the hell did I do to deserve this?'_ The boy wondered as tears streamed down the left side of his face. A missing eye could be a major detriment to a ninja. Most experienced ninja found a way to compensate for it, but Naruto was not an experienced ninja. He was just ten years old, three years into his academy education, and with three years to go. He was only halfway through his beginning education.

Oh, those vengeful bastards were probably loving this. The "demon" laying bloodied in a dark, dingy alley with a missing eye. He didn't know how, but he was going to show them. Before his thoughts could continue down that path, he heard a voice echoing through his head.

_'Gaki. It's time; I need to speak with you.'_ Not even giving him time to wonder who had said that, he felt everything go dark.

He was in a sewer. A sewer of all places. Damn it all, this proved it. Either Kami hated him, or he/she/it was an all-around asshole. Fortunately, the water didn't seem dirty. Walking down the path his mind told him, he found himself strangely calmed by this area.

As he walked down the seemingly endless path, he wished that there was some kind of dry walkway. Magically, a dry, blue-carpeted walkway rose from the water in front of him. Okay this was getting weird. Now if only those dripping noises would stop. Again, the noises stopped instantly. Screw weird, this was goddamn scary.

Finally, he came to a large chamber, so high and wide that neither the ceiling nor walls were visible. Walking forward, he came to the barred doors of a huge cage, with some kind of paper seal on them. What the hell?

"Hey, anybody home?" Responding to his shout, something came forward. Something huge, furry and red. Oh, how cute. It was a giant fox... with nine tails... oh shit.

**"Gaki, Gaki. Welcome to your dingy, unpolished subconscious. I suppose you know who I am."** Naruto fell flat on his butt, scrambling backwards in a reverse crab-walk. Shit, shit, shit! He was dead. So, so dead. Wait a minute, did he say "subconscious"? Wasn't that like a part of someone's mind?

**"Yes, that means this is your mind, and thanks for the cute comment, though I'm honestly ****not into mortal children. I can hear your thoughts, by the way."** Well even for someone of Naruto's intelligence level, that last comment was obvious.

"Why are you here? You're dead! Am I dead?" Naruto's fists clenched and his eyes widened even more. He couldn't die. He wasn't Hokage yet!

**"No, no, brat. You aren't dead. As I said, this is your mind."** Mustering up his courage, Naruto decided to ask the million ryou question.

"Then why are you here? You're dead!" At this, the kyuubi began to laugh like a maniac.

**"Dead, me? Gaki, you have to learn to question the history you're taught. A great man once said that history is just a set of agree-upon lies. Bijuu cannot be killed, it's as simple as that. They can, however, be sealed inside children, the jinchuuriki. Your father sealed me inside you."** Naruto froze. Kyuubi waited for about half an hour, thinking that maybe he shouldn't have dropped both of those bombshells at the same time. He could have sworn the kid had turned to stone. He was even gray and cracking slightly!

Eventually Naruto managed to pull himself out of his near-comatose state. Twitching slightly, as his stress levels were currently at unheard-of levels, he took ten deep breaths and then said the most eloquent thing he was capable of at the moment.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" You're sealed inside me?! My dad sealed you in me?! The person who defeated you was the fourth, not my dad, whoever he was!" The kyuubi smacked his head against the floor repeatedly in exasperation. How thick could this kid get?

**"Alright, I'll say it slowly. The fourth sealed me in you, since bijuu are immortal. The Yondaime WAS your father. That makes you the son of... Gaki? Oh, Kami damn it. Not again."** Uzumaki Naruto, the usually imperturbable young kid, was once again turned to stone. Luckily, he snapped out of it in fifteen minutes this time.

Naruto looked up at the kyuubi, tears in his eye. The expressive blue orb showed a mixture of wonder, grief, anger, and confusion. Why had his father done this to him. How could he be the Yondaime's son? Wouldn't that keep him from being treated like he had been? And why did the lord of demons know about this?

Kyuubi sighed. He had a reputation for being a monster, but once again, history was often mistaken.

Before Naruto's eyes, the huge form began to shrink. Fur turned to skin, bone structures changed, and, before long, a tall man with long red hair and a goatee stood before him. The kyuubi-man stepped between the bars of the gate and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and began to speak in a voice that was, while deep, very human.

"Kid, I know how you must feel right now. All I can say is, I'm sorry. Minato didn't want to do it, but he didn't have a choice. You have to understand how he felt. Do you really think your own dad wanted you to live a life of hatred, of being ostracized, despite what he told the village to see you as? He hoped you'd be strong enough to rise above it all, to show those bastards wrong." Knowing what the look in the boy's eye meant, he sighed, before placing both of his hands on Naruto's shoulders, looking into that lone cerulean orb.

"Your father loved you, Naruto. I can tell you that he wished to see you grow up, to learn, to live, and to eventually give him grandkids. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to seal his best friend, a demon of the highest order, inside his child." Staring back at kyuubi, the implications of those final words hit Naruto.

The kyuubi and the Yondaime had been friends?

Naruto wasn't completely sure he trusted the demon yet, but he needed a friend, someone to accept him. Grabbing the demon in front of him, he pulled him into a hug that spoke more than words ever could. After just staying like that for a few minutes, he pulled away and looked at the kyuubi. Any doubts he might have had were shattered at the look in the demon's eyes. Kyuubi gave him a questioning look, and Naruto somehow knew what he was asking.

"If you're really my father's friend, I figure that something caused you to attack. I bet... dad... knew what that was, and I bet you do, too." Kyuubi's face split into a wide grin at that. For a block headed little kid, Naruto had some common sense in that skull of his. Then again, that room down the hall with the big tank labeled "Common Sense – Do not open" should have told him that.

"Bingo, kid. Actually, your father was hoping you'd play a part in kicking Madara's ass for this." At that, Naruto jumped. THE Uchiha Madara, legendary shinobi that helped to found Konoha? That was the guy responsible? But he was dead- oh, right. History blah blah blah, lies blah blah blah. Before he could think further on exactly how much his life had and was about to change, the kyuubi backed up, took one look down at himself, and promptly covered himself with his hands. The blond just as promptly busted out laughing. Great, a nude kyuubi-man. What a way to ruin the mood.

"Hey, brat. Get me some damn clothing here!" At Naruto's raised eyebrow, the demon simply knocked on the side of his head and pointed at the floor. Getting it, Naruto made a simple thought before a large armoire popped up beside them. Pulling the doors open, Kyuubi began to rummage through it, picking out clothes.

After about five minutes, the kyuubi was dressed, and Naruto had to admit that he was a striking figure. Waist-length red hair, with a thin goatee that came out to a point two inches from his chin (for those familiar, think of the Postal dude's goatee), red, slitted eyes, a black leather knee-length trench coat with no shirt underneath, and dark gray cargo pants tucked into steel-toed black leather boots. Naruto snorted; was this a demon or a rebellious teenager (A/N: no offense to rebellious teenagers. I'm a fan of the clothing myself, or I wouldn't put Kyuubi in it)? The kyuubi even had two silver earrings.

"Ah, now that that's over, I'll give you some time to think about all this. Take all the time you need; time flows differently in your mindscape. Then we've got to get planning for the future." Taking the demon's advice, Naruto summoned a couch. As they both sat down and the kyuubi almost immediately started snoring, he tried to process all the information in his head.

His father was the Yondaime Hokage. He could hardly believe it was true. Was it possible? What he'd recently learned of the kyuubi gave him the impression that the demon wasn't a liar. A trickster maybe, but not someone to spin a web of lies. Given that the Sandaime had commented on their similar looks and traits, he decided that it wasn't that far-fetched. Medical records could easily have been hidden or destroyed, and given the number of enemies that Yondaime had, it could have been done for Naruto's (and his mother's) safety. He decided to accept it, especially given the Sandaime's words.

Now for Kyuubi. If there was one thing Naruto was familiar with, it was feelings. He'd spent his entire life studying the interactions of others, hoping to have bonds such as them eventually. The look in his eyes was similar to what he'd seen parents give their children, a sort of familial love. He'd also seen pain in those eyes, which he saw whenever he wasn't being upbeat and looked at himself in the mirror. He'd accept him, and hoped deep in his heart that they could be a sort of family. As such, he had to accept the truth of Madara. There were instances of shinobi who tried to lengthen their lives through forbidden methods, and Madara was supposed to be a genius, a shinobi of the highest caliber.

Now he had to think of the last thing he wanted to think about. His eye. Few pre-shinobi or genin managed to lose an eye and keep their career. Without the experience to make up for it, he was in trouble. Hopefully, though, the kyuubi would have a way to make up for it. Maybe he'd even help with Naruto's training.

After sitting for a couple hours and mulling over these major subjects, along with thousands of other small things, he looked up at the kyuubi. Nodding his head, he couldn't help but grin at the look on Kyuubi's face.

"I'm ready, Kyuubi-aniki." Kyuubi's grin fell, and, for a second, so did Naruto's. Then the demon began to laugh happily.

"Are you really sure you want the legendary Kyuubi no Yokou to be your big brother? I'm a big, scary, all around badass guy!" Naruto nodded. To hell with it, if one of his earliest bonds was to be with a legendary demon, so be it.

"All right, then. The first order of business is a seal. Your father prepared it, actually. He hoped this day would come, you see. This seal, which we'll sneak out of the village to activate, will release me, and, thanks to his genius and my strength powering it, allow me to get out of the seal on your stomach with no ill effects to you. Hell, afterwards I'll give you a 'gift'. One similar to the first gift I ever gave your father." Naruto's eyes widened. The kyuubi could escape? Normally, he'd panic at this, but after recent events, this could be one of the biggest boons he'd ever gotten. And a gift? One that his father had also received?

"Okay. How do I get out of the village, though? The guards won't allow me of all people out of the gates on October tenth, and I'm not sneaky enough to just slip out." A slightly scary grin came across the kyuubi's face.

"Oh, if the villagers knew. They'd shit themselves. What I need you to do is relinquish control of your body temporarily. I'll give it back to you when I'm done, on my honor as a demon." Naruto chuckled.

"Don't demon promises usually have some kind of unspoken catch to them?"

"Well, normally, but for my otouto, I'll make an exception." Once again, the blond was shocked. Kyuubi had just called him his little brother. Before he could respond, he fell blackness surround him again

Naruto woke up to the smell of crisp, clean night air. Stepping out of the bloody alley, he looked down the street, where children laughed and festival booths offered games and refreshments. Normally, he'd look on and pretend he was part of it all, but he had business tonight. A leaf crunched under his foot as he stepped back into the alley.

_'Alright, kit. Do it. It's simple, just focus on relinquishing control of your body.'_ Naruto did as told, and everything turned to a red haze, as if seeing through red-tinted sunglasses. He felt his body move of it's own accord, and it felt like he was watching his vision through a television screen. His body jumped onto the roof with more strength than Naruto normally had in his body and took off.

A red-eyed Naruto hopped across the rooftops, slowly doing the hand seals for a jutsu. He couldn't rush through them and still mask his chakra, so it took until he was right near the village walls to finish it. Just in time. The boy blinked out of existence, invisible to the naked eye and hiding his chakra signature, just as he jumped over the wall.

After rolling to a halt on the ground outside and running a few miles, Kyuubi/Naruto ran through a series of hand seals. First a modified form of the tiger seal (A/N: The Kage Bunshin hand seal), then serpent, rat, bird, serpent, horse, ox, rat, another unknown seal, for nearly a minute the kyuubi went through dozens of different seals.

Red light flashed all throughout the forest clearing. Naruto felt pain, not a small amount, but not a large amount, race through his stomach, and felt his body returned to him, as the kyuubi felt like he was expanding and growing at an exponential rate. Finally, a mass of red chakra ripped out of the seal, forming into the kyuubi's human form. Fortunately, it seemed his clothing had come with him.

Naruto smiled happily. He finally had a close friend, and that close friend was freed from his prison. Kyuubi himself smiled, and said nothing as he turned around in wonder at finally being able to feel the breeze on his face, to smell the smell of fall, to taste the sweetness of the air. He gave Naruto a look of warning before nearly tearing his own clothing off and rolling around in the grass, laughing.

Having the decency to look away, the blond laughed. Normally, that would be disgusting, but Kyuubi had been stuck in his mind for a decade now. He deserved to enjoy the physical world. After half an hour, the kyuubi dressed again, giving Naruto a teasing look.

"Did you like what you saw?" Despite his best effort, a snort escaped Naruto's nose. Laughing at the kyuubi wasn't wise, but he did it anyway.

"Sorry, aniki, but I'm not into family." At this, the kyuubi's mouth twitched upward to one side.

"You didn't point out the fact that I'm male." Naruto still laughed, but the look in his eye was serious.

"You've been in my mind, so you should know that I don't care about gender. I'll end up with who I end up with, regardless of their sex." A sigh of relief escaped the fox.

"Good, because I'm not into teaching anyone if they're homophobic." At this, the blond's eyebrow quirked.

"Got a male mate, I suppose." The blush on the demon's face told him everything.

As they began the walk back to Konoha, Naruto elbowed his ex-prisoner in the ribs jokingly.

"Never fooled around with my dad, did ya?" The kyuubi twitched slightly.

"There was this one drunken one-night stand, but that was an accident." Naruto promptly turned green and decided to stop asking questions for now. Having sex with a man didn't bother him, but he sure as hell didn't want to picture his father sleeping with anyone.

Once they got to the walls, the demon smiled sadly, before his face turned to one of fury.

"You know, the last time I saw these, I nearly destroyed them. If I ever get my hands on Uchiha Madara... If I ever see him, I'll have to thank Itachi for wiping out that fucking clan." Naruto nodded. An enemy of his aniki was an enemy of his, too.

Kyuubi wordlessly went through several hand seals, then grabbed Naruto as the two of them began to sink into the earth. It felt like moving through thick water to Naruto, and while undoubtedly convenient, it was not an experience he'd like to repeat. Rising out of the ground inside the Konoha walls, he snorted to himself.

"You know, they'll have to fix that problem. I know for a fact that Orochimaru can do that as well, and since it's a doton jutsu, many Iwagakure ninjas likely can too." They took to the rooftops, making their way towards Naruto's apartment. Naruto gathered all of his meager belongings, which Kyuubi sealed into a scroll, then stepped outside to give Naruto a moment to say goodbye to his home.

Naruto looked around for one instant in his only slightly more barren apartment. The stains he had never been able to get out, the ramen cups that littered his bedroom, the empty spaces that scrolls and other equipment had been placed in. Then he looked at the water spots on the ceiling, the cracks in the walls and floor, the broken windows his landlord refused to have fixed. Growling, he walked out the door and never looked back. He'd find another place when he got back; there was no way in hell that he was staying in this place ever again.

The next stop was a ninja tool shop where kyuubi stole a large amount of supplies, including travel rations (kyuubi explained that they'd catch most of their food, but this was for barren environments), assorted tools and weapons, and some basic clothing for Naruto to wear until he found a good clothing shop in another place. He had no problem with what the owner's would think, as the couple had been in the angry mob that cost him his eye, and even beforehand they'd once taken his money and then refused to give him the merchandise he had purchased.

Kyuubi gave him a pair of black pants, new ninja sandals, a sleeveless black shirt, a voluminous gray cloak with a hood, an eye-patch, and a blank face mask. After slipping into an alley to change, their next destination was Ichiraku Ramen, so Naruto could have a last meal before leaving.

Walking into the cheerful, quite full ramen stand, he whispered his identity to Ayame and she took him back into a covered area behind the stand that had been made specifically for these worst of days for Naruto. After calling her father, she turned around and greeted him.

"Hi, Naruto! Ramen's on the house tonight, since today's your birthday." Naruto shook his head, then seeing her confusion decided to explain.

"I'm taking a secret training trip, because of the way the villagers treat me, and I'll be gone for a while. I want to pay, since I won't be able to spend anything here for the next few years." Ayame's mouth dropped open, and so did Teuchi's, since he'd walked in just as Naruto gave his explanation. Needless to say, both had something to say, and Teuchi was the first to voice his concerns.

"Naruto! You know you can't do that! Does the Hokage know?" Naruto shook his head.

"I'm leaving a letter. He'll understand, and have me listed as being on a training trip. I can't stay in this village right now, and I'll learn more by travelling. I'll be back in three years, in time to join a genin team." The father and daughter could tell that something was seriously wrong. Ayame asked what had happened.

Naruto responded by removing his hood, then slowly pulling off his mask. Teuchi gasped and Ayame sobbed, both horrified by what had been done to the boy they both loved as family.

"I found out about my resident." The silence after that statement, broken only by Ayame's crying, could have been cut with a knife. Sitting there in silence for a few minutes, Teuchi finally walked into the kitchen and came back with two bowls of Ramen.

"I understand, Naruto. Neither of us will say anything about this even to the Hokage, since Hokage-sama would surely bring you back if he found out. I'll let you pay for the rest of the ramen if you really want to, but these bowls are on the house." Naruto smiled in thanks, and made a hand signal. Kyuubi jumped down from an adjacent rooftop, covering his looks with a matching gray cloak for safety reasons. At the looks on Teuchi's and Ayame's faces, Naruto once again explained.

"My sensei. As it turns out, he knew my parents and wants to help me." Teuchi was the only one to jump this time, since he knew who Naruto's parents were. Kushina had demanded to eat at this shop nearly every day, especially when she was pregnant. Naruto gave him a knowing look.

"Ordered by jiji not to tell, right? I understand. For my safety. As I said, sensei here knows all about Yon... dad." The slip wasn't unintentional. Naruto wanted to make sure Teuchi knew that Naruto knew without telling Ayame, who would be told when the law was repealed. The time as Naruto and Kyuubi ate their multiple bowls passed as cheerfully as possible, and after a drawn-out, tearful good-bye, Naruto hugged the two and left. Kyuubi was about to leave, but Teuchi shook his hand and made him promise to take good care of Naruto.

After the pair left, Ayame turned to Teuchi.

"Dad, who's Naruto's father. Was he named Yon?" Teuchi chuckled and explained to her that he'd tell her later. Looking in the direction the two had headed in, he hoped the best for Naruto and this sensei of his.

Naruto now stood in the hokage tower, writing a letter to the man he considered a grandfather. Kyuubi was off gathering the supplies that the ninja shop didn't carry, along with any other thing he could think of. Satisfied, he set the letter down on the table and read it one more time.

_Dear Jiji,_

_Naruto here. I'm going to be gone for a few years, training under a friend of my father's who __rescued me from a mob tonight. He has proof, so it's not just someone trying to trick me. I know who my father is, and I know of my... tenant. I'll be back in Konoha in time for the team selection exams. I know that'll get me registered as the 'dead last' in the class, but I can learn more out there. Also, I... need some time away from Konoha. I'll be back jiji, and I'll take that stupid hat from you, so don't worry. Please get me registered as on vacation, leave or whatever, ojiisan, and send Konohamaru my goodbyes. I've left an original jutsu for him in 'that' spot. He'll understand. I'd talk more, but I need to be long gone by the time you get back from the stuffy official event you're undoubtedly being forced to attend. Bye, Ojiisan. Love, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto._

At the bottom of the letter was a stick figure of Naruto with fox ears and the Uzumaki spiral. Imagining the look on the Hokage's face when he read the signature, he laughed, then jumped out the window, immediately being joined by Kyuubi.

Standing on top of the tower, Naruto took one look at the village. He didn't know if he could forgive them just yet, but he'd show them all. He'd make them respect him (a part of his mind instead said "fear" but he quashed that) and become the greatest Hokage ever.

The sight in front of him was beautiful. A darkened village, lit by the moon and stars above, resulting in a light night where everything was tinted blue, with orange, red, white, and other colors of light blinked from windows and festival lights. Laughing was in the air, and the scent of wood smoke and a faint smell of alcohol filled the skies.

He turned around and grabbed Kyuubi's arm, and the demon finished the space-time Jutsu he'd been working on. One moment they were there, and the next, they were miles away.

* * *

One month had passed, and Naruto was already much stronger. Chakra weights that the kyuubi had applied had increased the effects of the physical training the boy was undergoing, and the kyuubi had made a chakra training exercise reverse-engineered from medical jutsu to train his control.

"Why am I doing this again?" The Kyuubi looked up from the lunch he was preparing, fish and rice, and grunted.

"How many times do I have to tell you, kit? You have the chakra capacity of more than five standard jounin. That makes chakra control incredibly difficult, especially considering that you've always had this chakra level, you didn't have time to adjust to it as it grew. Medical ninjutsu requires the highest degree of chakra control, so an exercise based on it is the most effective training. Now make that piece of muscle move with your chakra!" Naruto went back to the task at hand. He had ten shadow clones with him, assisting in his efforts; The Kyuubi had been sure to teach him that technique, and had even explained the memory-retaining side-effect. In fact, he had several Narutos reading at all times, reading history, science and biology, military strategy, math, literature both analytical and fictional, and just about every kind of book they found.

Naruto's mental ability was increasing at a rapid rate, but he wasn't quite there yet. One of the clones managed to make the fish sinew twitch, and canceled himself with a "poof", giving the information to all the rest, while Naruto made another clone to replace him. Ah, he got it now. He had to move the chakra in a pulse like an electrical current, and then bend and stretch it to bend and stretch the muscle, keeping the current at a fluctuating rate according to the electrical needs of the muscle. Now to just refine his control to that point...

* * *

It had now been four months since Naruto had left the village. He and Kyuubi were now browsing through a black market. According to Kyuubi, such places were beehives of rumors, along with rare and illegal artifacts, items, and jutsu. He examined the rack of weapons in front of him, as Kyuubi had explained that he should have at least two unique weapons that he should be proficient in. Kyuubi was already giving him sword training, explaining that, even if he rarely wielded them, knowledge about them would help him protect himself against them. He could also pick up the blade of a fallen shinobi or samurai and use it in a pinch.

After examining a kusarigama he was quite interested in, he decided to veto the weapon and moved on. A tinbe-rochin combo was next. Interesting, but no. The turtle shell shield would be a hindrance, and the short spear was designed to go with the shield. A kyoketsu shoge? No, he wanted more offensive power if the weapon wasn't going to be a standard kunai or shuriken.

Maybe an easily hidden suntetsu? Wait, that was it. An Ono, a nice, small hatchet. That would provide nice close range damage, and it wasn't over-sized either. The second weapon he was picking was right next to it. A war scythe, the scythe blade extending spear-like from the pole, with wicked ridges that would rip the wound, and a sharp metal point on the other end. These were to be his short and long melee weapons.

Buying the weapons with the money Kyuubi had given him (the fox had made a fair deal of money through assassination missions), he moved on to a jutsu stand. Browsing, he found several scrolls from the wind element, which his aniki had identified to be his primary element, as well as _'Doton: Doryuuheki'_.

Finished shopping, he headed over to the information trading booths, where Kyuubi was waiting for him.

* * *

Six months since Naruto had left Konoha, and it was time for his first 'gift'. The Kyuubi stood in front of him, a serious look covering his face. They were currently on top of a mountain, snow covering everything in sight and leaving a white haze that made seeing more than ten meters in any direction impossible.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, you have been judged worthy by me, the greatest of the bijuu, as a candidate for receiving the gifts of a demon. You must take a pledge of honor to continue this ceremony, to make yourself something more than human, like your father was before you. Do you accept this oath, to be an ally of demon-kind forevermore? To help other demons in peril, to commune with the immortal beings of the world?" Naruto had no idea what the part about his father meant, but he'd roll with it.

"I, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, last of both of my parental clans, and ex-jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yokou, greatest of all demons, do so swear my solemn oath." Kyuubi nodded.

"Good, then as the last of the ceremonial rites, I bestow upon you your first of gifts." Holding out one of his hands, the demon's fingers turned into claws. However, they were different from his normal claws. Each finger was black and came to a needle-like point. Drawing back his hand first, he drove his fingertips into Naruto's chest.

The pain was excruciating. It felt like his body was on fire, like each nerve ending was being twisted and ripped. He could hear himself screaming. Then he passed out.

Waking up, Naruto noticed several differences. He didn't feel as cold up here anymore, for one. His sight seemed much clearer as well, and he could hear the heartbeat of Kyuubi, sitting ten feet away. Getting up, he gave the kyuubi a questioning look.

"I gave you demon-blood. You're about one-tenth demon. I'll eventually give you more demon blood, though that won't be fore a while now. Your father got to about one-third, the fourth of five levels of demon-blood infusion. It goes, in order, one-tenth, one-fifth, one-fourth, one-third, and lastly one-half. Any higher than that and you would be turned into a full demon, which can't be done to living mortals. That status can possibly be bestowed upon you in the event of your death, so long as you die at a reasonable age, and not too young."

"I'll cover your responsibilities first, and then I'll move on to your boons. You are now a blooded human, first stage, and your responsibilities include helping any other demon or part-demon you find in trouble. That means demons that are being sealed against their will, captured demons, part-demons being experimented on, anyone with demon blood in danger of violation of rights, or in danger of death. Also, if you find an abomination of nature made by unwilling demon co-operation, which you will be able to sense, you must destroy it. You must, from now on, meet at demon communes every few years. Rarely do the bijuu preside over these, but it occasionally happens. Mostly you'll be meeting with lesser demons and blooded humans in social gatherings, but occasionally it will be political meetings or war councils, if a threat to the demons must be discussed."

"Now on to the good part. Your chakra levels have increased vastly, along with your control being boosted to compensate for the larger reserve. Your senses are boosted, though they have automatic dampers on them to prevent sensory overload if a loud noise, bright light, or strong smell is in danger of causing said overload. Your depth perception is now, even with a missing eye, equivalent to that provided by two eyes. You also have photographic memory, which I do not believe I have to explain the long list of uses of. Lastly, your healing factor has been increased, which will compensate for the healing factor you lost. You will, of course, be able to sense demonic chakra as well, though this is not so much a boon as an affinity due to your new blood. Extra benefits will open up to you as you gain more demon blood, which shall be bestowed by me as you earn it." Naruto soaked up this information easily, partly due to his accelerated education, and partly due to his new, perfect memory. He nodded, and Kyuubi grinned, hugged him in congratulations, and gestured for them to continue on their way.

* * *

A year had passed since Naruto's training had begun, and he was training in Fuinjutsu. Currently, he was doing the very basic task of sealing items into scrolls. Kyuubi had promised to teach him expansion seals afterwards, so he could increase the interior size of bags, pockets, and other containers beyond their outer physical size. He was looking forward to that skill. As he began to channel chakra into his storage seal, a bird landed on the kunai. Before he could stop it, it was sealed into the paper as well.

He had a good idea for a prank. Bringing the scroll over to Kyuubi, who was in the process of cooking, he set it down in front of him.

"Hey, Kyuubi-aniki, open this scroll." The demon began to channel chakra into the paper, which flashed, before releasing it's contents. Naruto was not aware that living things require special storage seals.

Blood and organs sprayed outwards from the seal, onto the kyuubi. Naruto promptly vomited, while the kyuubi simply sat there laughing, not bothered by the gore. Despite not being all that bad, he, as a demon, had a very cruel sense of humor.

Naruto didn't get much sleep that night. He'd felt inside him a sadistic streak beginning to form.

* * *

After a year and a half, Naruto was on his first C-rank mission. It was to hunt down bandit patrols whilst a mercenary army prepared to attack the main camp. The pay was fifty thousand ryou (by Kishimoto's monetary value of ryou, one ryou to ten yen, that would be five hundred thousand yen or approximately five thousand dollars, mid-level C-rank pay). Kyuubi had come with him, though he wouldn't step in unless Naruto was in any serious danger, which was unlikely against trained bandits.

Sneaking up behind a patrol of ten, he ran forward without a sound, at least one detectable by lowly-trained bandits. Impaling the apparent second-in-command with his war scythe, he twirled it around, stabbing a second man with the back of the weapon and ripping the first off of his scythe. Doing a backwards somersault, he threw the blade, which went spinning like a buzz saw and dispatched two more bandits rather gruesomely.

Unsealing his ono from a seal placed directly on his palm, the hatchet instantly appeared in his hand. Swift, short chops killed a fifth man with a blow to the head, and a sixth with a cleaving into his stomach. Dodging ill-kept katanas and daggers, he used shunshin to seemingly teleport behind a seventh, and his axe got stuck in the woman's skull. Leaving it for now, he turned, quickly running through hand seals, and released a _'Fuuton: daitoppa'_ that blasted two of the remaining enemies through a tree, very crushed and very, very dead.

He let a smirk cross his face, then barely dodged a slash from a mace that could have crushed the back of his skull. Angered both at his attacker for attacking and at himself for dropping his guard, he adopted a taijutsu stance and let the final target make a backswing, and then another swing, so that the back of their hand was exposed.

"_Kitsune gunshuku!_" half-curling his knuckles, he channeled chakra into his hand and hit the final bandit, the patrol leader, in the back of the hand. The bones shattered, causing the bandit to lose control of his fingers, dropping the mace. Not giving his opponent a chance to recover, he jumped up in the air, preparing for a side kick.

"_Kitsune heki!_" a side kick to the stomach caused his opponent to vomit blood and sent him crashing backwards into a tree, where he fell to the ground in a wheezing lump. Naruto walked up to the disabled bandit, pulled out a kunai, and grinned sadistically.

"Now you are going to tell me every little detail about the bandits and their patrol routes. Maybe some loot storage locations?" The only two sounds to be heard after this were laughing and screaming.

The rest of the mission went without a hitch, save for a small gash on Naruto's side from a genin that had been hired to monitor patrols.

* * *

After two years, Naruto was studying silent killing in Kirigakure no Sato. He wasn't likely to learn the eponymous jutsu of the village, Kirigakure no Jutsu anytime soon, so he was simply learning the basics from retired nin in return for news and artifacts from other countries, both of which were valuable commodities in the isolationist nation. He'd soon be back to Kyuubi, who was currently working on two seals.

The first of those was to solve the demon's problem with the sharingan. A proper explanation for that phenomenon traveled back all the way to the Byakugan, which was formed when a ninja clan willingly had a lesser demon sealed inside them, giving them the gift of the all-seeing eye. Later, an offshoot of the clan captured another demon by force, a fire demon specifically, and one that the Kyuubi had created with the help of the Nibi no Bakeneko, with whom he had an alliance spanning back near to the beginning of the world.

The nine bijuu had two factions, split by ideas of interference with the world. One group was conservative and didn't want to venture back into the spiritual realm from which they all came. Headed by the nanabi, it consisted of the seven (the nanabi), six, five, four, and three tailed beasts. They believed that, having been sent to the physical world, they were supposed to stay there. The second group was progressive, and wished to carve out territories from the largely empty, infinite space of the spirit realm. They believed that Greater Demons should have homes in their homeland, places for their favored mortals and servants to stay and enjoy.

This group was headed by the kyuubi, along with his mate, the ichibi, his best friend, the nibi, and her mate, the hachibi. Comprised of the two greatest and two lowest of the bijuu, this group was still greater than the other in power, due to the kyuubi's power. However, he refused to allow hostilities to open up, not wishing for the destruction of the physical realm. Due to his power, and his unusual history and family, his words were respected by both sides. Even the war-mongering rokubi would not defy the kyuubi, and risk his own wrath and that of his sibling.

Eventually, the council would fall apart, due to jinchuuriki sealing, but that is a story for another time. Kyuubi, once again due to his heritage, wished to see if he could create new life. Banding together with the nibi, he used her abilities over the dead to gather a number of souls that had become tainted and evil. Adding the souls to rock and magma from deep in the earth, a fire demon was born. These souls were given a chance to be cleansed of their taint, and collectively as the fire demon entered the service of Kyuubi, as he'd poured in an amount of his essence to give the magma and the souls new life.

However, before the being could finish its rites of purification, it was abducted by the rogue Hyuuga clan. A forced sealing brought about a more powerful clan. However, it was twisted. Warped. The members were usually power-hungry, selfish, and, all too frequently, insane. The souls, angry at having their chance for absolution taken from them, spread ever more darkness in the Uchiha, and the essence of the kyuubi was twisted into a mockery that, when introduced to its progenitor disrupted him and left him vulnerable to control from the madness of the sharingan eyes. The clan was an abomination that attempted to corrupt a divine demon and had to be eliminated. To achieve that end, Kyuubi was developing a defense against the corruption of the sharingan.

The second seal was much simpler. It was a modification of the special additions to Naruto's seal, to make it usable on other bijuu. That one was progressing much better, but it was, objectively, the lesser in importance. Naruto sighed and walked into an equipment shop, where for a sack of tobacco from fire country bought him the most effective ways to keep a target from screaming upon the fatal blow.

Upon returning to the mainland two weeks later, he found the kyuubi smoking an old-fashioned long pipe. It reminded him of exactly how old his "aniki" was.

* * *

Two and a half years into his training, Naruto was once again playing "softener" for enemy forces. This was an A-rank mission. The mission was not his specific objective, but the slaughter of the local paranoid, power-hungry warlord. Kyuubi would be moving in in two days and wiping out the elite and the warlord himself. Naruto was just here to take out some genin troops and low-class samurai.

First, he examined the fortifications. He was sitting on a tree with a branch reaching over the feudal-style wall. Sloppy, letting vegetation provide an entrance. Cobblestone walkways littered the outer grounds that were covered with grass, a second, smaller wall separated the inner and outer grounds, and a large, old-style manor took up the inner grounds.

He checked for chakra and found the walkways nearly covered with different traps. Those were probably only activated at night, when assassins usually visited. Dropping quietly onto the grass, he melded into the shadows, picking off first lone patrols, then groups, usually five samurai and a genin. He'd disposed of four such groups flawlessly, but the fifth managed to activate a noise trap, leading the two remaining patrols right to Naruto.

Dodging, ducking, and blocking for his life, the blond suffered a cut to the cheek, but remained otherwise unharmed. He was tiring out rather quickly, though. These genin were actually competent ones, not just genin in name only, like most older ones or genin who repeatedly failed chuunin exams. These samurai were able to use teamwork and decent swordsmanship skills to hold him off, even while suffering casualties, and the two genin took the offensive. One samurai ran for help.

Knowing he was busted either way, he dropped nearly a dozen exploding tags and shunshined out of the way. All of the samurai and one of the genin were completely obliterated. The last genin was missing an arm and a leg. Now he just had to make his escape.

Before he could begin to move, a giant armored figure came into his site. Oh, shit. This wasn't just a samurai, this was a samurai from the land of iron. His specific objective had just hit A-rank, maybe S-rank difficulty.

Naruto summoned and threw his scythe at the figure, hoping to slow it down. Almost faster than Naruto's demon-enhanced eye could see, a katana was drawn and slashed his precious scythe in half, then just as quickly was sheathed. Hopefully, the sacrifice had been worth it. The ono flew forward, no longer hidden behind the scythe, and flew past the samurai's guard.

It shattered against the heavy armor of the samurai. This was bad. He couldn't run; the samurai would catch him. His only option was to fight and delay until Kyuubi, who would something had gone wrong by now, came to investigate. Picking up the best katana he could see, he adopted a jigen-ryu stance, channeled chakra to his feet, and charged.

"_Ei!_" Arching down diagonally from above his shoulder, his blade drew close to the samurai's neck. Time almost froze as the samurai shouted an attack.

"_Bukepou: juujikazou hissatsu!_" Twin katana were drawn, cleaving through Naruto's scavenged sword like butter, and as two slashes arched across him, thousands of small cuts opened up across his body. Those, however, were nothing compared to the trails of the twin blades. Naruto stood there for a second, with a broken katana and bleeding in many places, before the front of his chest seemed to explode in an X-cross mark. The cuts sprayed blood violently; the blades had cut straight through the bone and into the organs.

Falling to the ground, the last thing he saw before the world went dark was an enraged man, surrounded by red chakra, ripping the samurai in half at the waist.

**"What have you done to my little brother?!"** Though Naruto did not see it, the compound was leveled in minutes.

Naruto woke up sore. He tried to sit up, only to have pain lance through his body. He gasped in pain, and Kyuubi was at his side in an instant, looking worried yet relieved. Weakly, he asked the demon who saved him a question.

"How long have I been out?" The look on the Kyuubi's face was grave.

"You've been in a coma for two months. It'll take a while for you to fully recover." In shock, Naruto passed out again, though this time he was up sooner.

* * *

At the two years and ten months marker, Naruto was currently at his first demon meet. It would last two weeks, and it was largely hedonistic revelry. He sat sipping sake with a lesser demon named Nekomata, who was in the service of the nibi, along with several older blooded humans in the service of the hachibi. As a traditional long pipe was passed to him, he declined. This would normally be considered rude, but he was allowed leeway due to his injuries.

He was currently walking with a cane. Specifically, a cane-sword. Kyuubi had given it to him as a temporary weapon (and one of his birthday presents; he'd been in the coma during his thirteenth birthday) while he had the war scythe and ono reforged. He'd be back with the repaired weapons in a day or two, and until then Naruto was on his own. Fortunately, he got along well with a fair number of the attendees, and laughing could be heard all around. He was up late into the night drinking with his compatriots.

The next morning, he woke up naked with a killer hangover, a strange tattoo on his back, newly hurting injuries, and a kyuubi laughing in his face. If this was how demon-meets usually went, he was going to have to visit as little as possible.

* * *

Slightly over three years after Naruto had left, Mizuki was running through the forest of Konoha, carrying the forbidden scroll. He had henged himself into the kyuubi brat, who was supposed to be back soon. Everyone thought Naruto had stolen the forbidden scroll, it was brilliant! He'd soon have this scroll to Orochimaru, and he'd be made a feudal lord! Then he'd be closer to his goal! Before he could begin full-blown maniacal laughing, a kunai thudded into the ground ahead of his foot. Iruka...

"Stop, Naruto... or should I say, Mizuki?" Damn him, Iruka was always good at seeing through disguises. After Iruka shot up a signal flare, dozens of shinobi gathered. Damn, his plan was ruined, and all by that weak teacher! Maybe if he acted well enough.

"What are you talking about Iruka-sensei? I just wanted to learn a cool jutsu." Before Iruka could respond, a voice cut through the air.

"You know, if you're going to impersonate someone, you should make sure that it isn't an outdated description. It's kind of rude." A gray-cloaked figure walked into the clearing. Mizuki's eyes shot to the mysterious person, if his implications were true... Mizuki returned to his original form.

"Damned little brat. You had to ruin my plans, didn't you? Or, you could help me. Have you ever wondered why the villagers hate you? It's because you're the..." The crowd had gone utterly silent. Iruka decided to interrupt.

"Mizuki, no!" However, the figure in gray once again decided to interrupt.

"You mean that I am a jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Yokou, the greatest of the bijuu? Well, congratulations on once again not having up to date knowledge of the person you were imitating." The crowd was silent, and Iruka stared at Naruto in shock. How did he know?

"Well, then Naruto. You must want to get some nice revenge on the-"

"No. I will gain respect where I can, and I will become hokage."

"You can't be serious... You little brat! Time to die!" Mizuki rushed forward, spinning a large shuriken. Slicing through the gray figure, he smirked... until the figure "poofed" into a cloud of smoke. A shadow clone? How the hell did the boy know that? Another gray-cloaked figure shunshined behind him and grabbed him, holding his arms still, and two more came flying out of the trees.

"_Kitsune tsuin heki!_" twin side kicks shattered a good number of the bones in his chest, and before the two other figures landed, a fourth ran forward, doing hand seals.

"_Fuuton: daitoppa!_" He was blasted backwards, the clone still attached. As he sailed backwards, the clone dispersed. He wondered why, until...

With a horrible squelching noise, Mizuki was impaled on the pointed back end of a wicked-looking war scythe. Everyone, Iruka included, stared on in horror at the apparent death of the man.

"Don't worry, he's not dead. I just paralyzed him from the waist down. If I was going to kill him, I'd use this." Naruto pointed to the serrated scythe blade, and everyone calmed down, but shivered at the same time at the brutality of the weapon carried by one not even genin. Carefully removing Mizuki from the weapon with the help of his clones, Naruto called for a medic to stabilize him, and then take him away.

Looking down at Mizuki, he noticed the man fighting down tears. That wouldn't be happening if his plan was for personal greed... This man had ulterior motives. Not mentioning his suspicions to anyone else, Naruto vowed to investigate into Mizuki's strange behavior. He'd always been a nice man, and his recent actions didn't match up with his apparent goal, greed for money and power. What the hell was going on?

Iruka waited until all of the other shinobi had left with Mizuki, making sure to send a messenger to the Hokage telling him that he'd be along with Naruto shortly. Walking up to the boy, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

"Naruto..." The boy stared at him for a second, an unasked question strong in the air.

"No, Naruto, I don't think badly of you for housing the kyuubi." He then enveloped the boy he'd come to think of as a younger brother in a hug. The boy had a private chuckle at how Iruka would react to his other older brother.

"So, Naruto? How have you been? It was kind of shocking when you just up and disappeared like that. Why did you run away, anyway?" The new silence in the air told Iruka that he'd just asked a question that Naruto didn't want to think about. The chirp of the higurashi (A/N: a variant of cicada with a cry that is considered melancholy) was the only sound in the forest clearing, and other than the slight damage from Naruto's wind attack, and the blood on the ground, it was serene, almost ghostly.

Moonlight cast a blue glow on Naruto's hair as he pulled off the hood, and his blank, bone white mask was, for now, a cerulean similar to what Iruka remembered of his eyes. Then he slowly pulled off the mask, and let it drop to the ground.

"Naruto..." Iruka noticed the various cuts and scars on Naruto's face, but those looked recent. It was the eye patch that Naruto now wore comfortably that drew his attention. The villagers had taken his eye?! No wonder the boy had fled. Iruka's fists clenched, getting angrier by the second. Naruto could tell what he was thinking.

"Stop, Iruka-sensei. You're one of my older brothers, and I don't want you getting in trouble trying to get revenge for me." Iruka nodded, but he had definitely noticed Naruto mention another brother.

"I'm one of your older brothers? Could I possibly meet this other person that you're willing to call a brother?" Naruto smiled and shook his head sadly, before turning in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"Not yet, Iruka-sensei. You're not ready right now. Before you meet him, you have to learn one, very important detail. History is but a set of lies agreed upon." With those cryptic words, Naruto walked softly out of the forest.

Before he got too far, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was nearly blinded by the grin on Iruka's face.

"Where do you think you're going? We're getting ramen before we see that old fart." Laughing incredulously at Iruka calling the Hokage an old fart, Naruto nodded and the two tree-hopped back to Konoha.

Things were peaceful once more. Well, maybe for about two days. Well, okay, not really even that.

* * *

Jutsu/Skill/weapon list:

War scythe: a scythe modified so that the curved blade that is usually mounted sideways at the end is pointed out like a spear. Many believe these to be a precursor to the halberd, though they were used even after the development of that weapon. Naruto's has a serrated blade and a spike on the other end.

Ono: a small hatchet typically used by warrior monks. It could be used both for combat and civilian purposes, without giving it any major disadvantages like many weapons adapted for the other use were.

Doton: Doryuuheki: The mud-wall jutsu that the third hokage used against Orochimaru.

Fuuton: Daitoppa: A wind jutsu that creates a blast of wind that, at full power, can level trees. Naruto used it at lower than full power both times he used it.

Shunshin: the body flicker, I don't think I have to explain this one.

Kitsune gunshuku: Fox disarm: an attack from the taijutsu style that Kyuubi is teaching Naruto. Channeling chakra into their hand, the attacker hits an armed person on the back of their hand, shattering the bones that stabilize their fingers, which causes the enemy to drop their weapon.

Kitsune heki: Fox pierce: a flying side kick where the ninja attacking channels chakra to their legs in the same way used for shunshin before jumping, giving them a greater velocity and causing their attack to break either the opponent's guard or their bones.

Kitsune tsuin heki: Fox twin pierce: A version of the Kitsune heki used with twin shadow clones.

Jigen-ryu: one of the older sword styles of Japan, this style goes by the motto that a second strike is never to be considered. It focuses on killing in a single hit, and the kiai is a loud "Ei!"

Bukepou: Juujikazou Hissatsu: Samurai art: crucifix certain kill: a twin katana attack that creates a vacuum, leaving hundreds of smaller cuts on the opponent. Where the actual swords hit, the vacuum causes a delayed effect and multiplied effect, leaving an X or crucifix shaped slash. As the technique denotes, this is almost always an instant kill, and it was only due to Naruto's demon blood and the kyuubi's best efforts that Naruto survived.

Pairings list (to eliminate any confusion, and any good idea from a reviewer that I put in, I'll put here):

Eventual Naruto/Karin

Kyuubi/Shukaku

Whew, I finally finished the first chapter. Please leave feedback, constructive criticism and credit card numbers. Seriously though, please leave a review, I'm trying to improve my writing and it makes me feel appreciated. Also, it takes less than a minute. Review rant over, before I go on a tangent.


	2. Vision

Author's note: I'm extremely happy at how well-received this story has been so far. I love you guys, so I've got a little present for everyone. An omake! I'll probably do one at the beginning of each chapter, though reading them may result in a sudden loss of soul. I'll also reply to reviews below, since, while I replied to some people, I think everyone deserves recognition for taking the time to review. Also, it lets me reply to anonymous reviewers, and answer questions that have been asked, but others might be wondering about.

Link Gryffindor and lindon2: thanks for the thumbs-ups.

Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan: you get a special kyuubi sticker (well, shout out, but it's the thought that counts) for such an enthusiastic review.

Litewarrior4: I suppose I should have made a yaoi warning. You know, I seriously forgot that that bothered some people... Not that I can blame you, with the crapflood that gets spilled into most yaoi pairings. Damn you people, making the search for a good ItaNaru story (IE, one that actually has a story) so difficult!!! However, Kyuubi and Shukaku won't be getting any sex scenes, smexy as they might be. Naruto would still be about genin rank, he just uses more strategy than Kishimoto's standard non-tactical (and therefore, un-ninja) ninja. Love the guy, makes a great story, but "ninja" in the Naruto universe rarely know what stealth means.

Anon. dude: Tangents are fun, but I figured that I should wait until a few chapters in to "RAAAAGE" in my author's notes.

CW: Ah, but I do have something planned for that empty eye-socket. I could give him another eye, but I have something else planned...

Kazua: Karin's personality isn't touched upon that much in the canon. She's shown to be smart and very perverted. Actually, I think a friend of mine said it best when he said "she's such a lovable slut". The tattoo is actually important later, and Naruto will get a weapon update at some point. When we get to them, I hope you like them.

Disclaimer: Naruto does not the characters own me or delicious children. Wait, what?

Important Note: I'd like to take a moment and say a heartfelt "thank you" to my readers. You've helped keep me sane in a trying time, even if you didn't know it.

Oh, and sorry for the delay. I got lost on the road of life. In other words, Final Fantasy Seven. And reading lots and lots of fanfiction, and lots of books. Too much H.P. Lovecraft, in fact. I saw a shoggoth in my dreams, which any fans of Lovecraftian horror can tell you is a very, very bad thing.

**Warning:** this story does contain some shounen-ai or yaoi content. Naruto himself is paired with a girl (Karin, as I said) as the eventual pairing of the story, but he might have a boyfriend or two along the line, and Kyuubi is paired with a male himself. There will be no yaoi lemons (actually, no lemons at all, yaoi or otherwise), but I understand that this bothers some people, so I'm giving you all a warning. Sorry, coming from someone who personally doesn't understand how people can care about what gender their partner is, I really forgot that that bothered some people.

"Aeris" - normal speech

"_is actually_" - thoughts, mental communication, jutsu, etc.

_kind of_ - written words

"**annoying**" - demon/summon speech

* * *

Omake: Everything's better with dramatic standoffs.

In the ruins of a destroyed sound base, Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Kabuto along with Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo faced off against a Konoha brigade consisting of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Neji, Lee, Tenten and Gai.

"So, this is the final showdown... Kukukuku." The snake sannin cackled at the leaf shinobi.

"Give up, dobe, you know you can't win." A tumbleweed dramatically rolled across the ground between the two sides. In an instant, Naruto was holding a kunai to Sasuke's neck. Orochimaru promply pointed a kunai at Naruto, only to have Kakashi point a kunai at him, and Sasuke pointed his katana at Sakura, who pointed a kunai at Kabuto.

Kabuto pointed a kunai at Gai, who promptly held one of his sharpened pinwheels to the throat of Juugo, who morphed his hand with the cursed seal and pointed it at Tenten. Tenten responded by pointing twelve kunai, three katana, and five sickles at Karin, who gulped and pointed a senbon at Lee, who was busy menacing Suigetsu with his own kunai.

The tension in the air could be cut by a knife. Beads of sweat began to gather on the brows of the various ninja, and a dramatic wind blew through the nearby treetops. It was a terse, dangerous atmosphere, until...

"Neji-san, could you please youthfully remove your kunai from my youthful back?" Every head in the crowd turned to look at the Hyuuga.

"What? I can't be the only one who was thinking of it! Come on, give me a goddamn break! It's Lee! Lee!"

After the dramatic battle, Neji was awarded the medal of fire for his concern for humanity and excellence in the line of duty. Both green beasts had been destroyed, and the ninja world was finally free. Sasuke was buried in green spandex, because fuck him.

End Omake...

* * *

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen, sandaime hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, one of the most powerful ninja villages in the world, stood a boy he'd awaited the arrival of for three years. Naruto was currently wearing a gray cloak with a mask shielding his face, and a hood pulled up covering the rest of his head, so the aged shinobi wasn't able to identify much about how Naruto had changed. He could tell, however, that the blond was taller, and he seemed to carry with him an aura of confidence, though not over-confidence.

"Well, Naruto, I've missed you, but I'm afraid that, as Hokage, I've got to get the official protocol out of the way first. I'm sure that you've kept up to date with the public news of Konoha, which, as an academy student, is all you're allowed even in Konoha. So we can skip that step. Although, that changes now. For the display of qualities befitting a genin in the apprehension of Mizuki, I'm as of now promoting you to genin. You have a week until genin team placement." Tossing Naruto a forehead protector, he smiled softly as he could feel the smile behind that mask.

"Well, Naruto, I'll wait until later to ask for a report of your training, though I'll understand if your teacher put an oath of silence on part of it. Minato's friends were usually similar to him in their secrecy. Take off your cloak and mask, I want to see the boy I consider another grandson." Naruto hesitated, and Sarutobi could tell that he had some reason to be uncomfortable about taking off either the cloak or the mask. However, he complied. The cloak was tossed aside, and the mask was pulled off slowly.

Sarutobi growled. Damn those villagers! That eye was most likely part of the reason why Naruto left. He calmed down for a minute, and gave the boy a once-over. He obviously had been well-fed, and, judging by the tight lean muscle on his frame, well-trained. The eye-patch drew attention from the rest of his face, but the remaining left eye was as bright blue as ever, though more piercing and analytical than it had been before. Small scars were strewn across parts of his face and visible body, obviously the result of the same attack, which scared Sarutobi when he thought that this boy had been on the receiving end of what looked like such a powerful jutsu.

Naruto was dressed in a tight black sleeveless shirt made of some kind of semi-shiny fiber, no doubt breathable and durable, over which was a modified flak vest, cut down so as to leave little other than the shoulder pads and pockets that were on a belt-like strap across his chest (Imagine the fuhrer from Fullmetal Alchemist's shirt and pockets when he fights Greed, but with shoulder pads). His loose-fitting dark blue shinobi pants were tucked into black leather boots with wicked looking spikes on the toes, and he was wearing emerald green arm guards. Last but not least, his hair had, for some reason, white streaks through the blond, and reached down to his shoulder blades, with a few spikes sticking out messily in random directions.

The boy certainly struck an imposing figure. Sarutobi, having finished his examination, stood and hugged Naruto. After catching up, then Naruto giving a much-censored (his master had indeed put an oath of silence on him), the now-semi-genin (since he hadn't passed the genin team test) was dismissed. Before he could walk out the door, Sarutobi asked him one last question.

"Naruto, how did you get all those scars? They look like they all came from the same attack; What kind of jutsu were you hit with?" Turning, Naruto lifted up his shirt, and the hokage's mouth dropped open. What in the name of Kami had Naruto been through?

"It wasn't exactly a jutsu. Well, it was, just not a ninja one. It was _Bukepou_. Samurai arts. I believe the name was _juujikazou hissatsu_, and it nearly killed me, though sensei managed to save my life." Sarutobi's jaw was now in the vicinity of "the room below his office", having dropped through the floor. That attack was famous as the one that played the primary part in destroying the first incarnation of the seven swordsmen of the mist. Looking at Naruto with new respect, he nodded signifying that Naruto could leave. As Naruto walked out the door, he smacked his head. In his shock, he'd forgotten to tell Naruto something else. Taking the excuse to get away from this blasted paperwork, he got up and walked with a speed belying his age after the boy. Catching up to him just out the doors of the hokage tower, he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh, Naruto, I forgot. Your old apartment building was demolished, but I'm authorizing you to inherit your clan home, the Namikaze clan home." Naruto started to look down, thinking he was now homeless, until he heard the last part. Grinning from ear to ear, he nodded vigorously in thanks to the old man. Sarutobi motioned for Naruto to follow.

The two walked side by side through the peaceful night streets. Making small talk about the beauty of the stars, and discussing the constellations and their astrological meanings, the old man was amazed at how well-versed in astronomy Naruto was. After making a comment to that effect, Naruto chuckled in reply and said that one of his sensei's first tasks was to give Naruto an education, not just an average one, but a scholarly tutoring of math, astronomy, linguistics, ceremony, the sciences and arts, and history, along with other things. The blond left out some of the... other subjects he'd been taught about.

Sarutobi guided Naruto into the clan district, passing the Uchiha and Hyuuga grounds, and then the district proper entirely. Guiding him down a forest path guarded by seals, which he explained would automatically block anyone emitting any kind of harmful intent towards the contents of the grounds, they finally came upon the complex.

This wasn't a house or possibly manse, like Naruto had been thinking when he heard "Namikaze clan home". This was a full building complex. It was the size of the Uchiha clan complex! He wondered for a moment how such a large complex could be hidden in a forest with several nearby training grounds, until he remembered something Kyuubi had taught him, which was that over half of the advanced seal users and Seal Masters that came out of Konoha were Namikaze.

After giving Naruto a key, he left, knowing Naruto would want time alone to explore the home that had belonged to his father's clan. Walking around it, he noticed one thing. The Namikaze clan wasn't overly extravagant, but neither was it spartan or even average. It was refined and well-decorated while remaining functional, and while it wasn't by any means utilitarian, neither was it resplendent. However, a thief would have been able to make a fortune selling the antiques and artwork decorating the walls. The central building contained what looked like a dinner and dance hall, with ceremonial chambers and offices in a square around the hall.

Standing in the midst of the dance floor, almost entranced by the connection, however faint, to his family, he stared up at the Namikaze crest. Dark blue-green waves sat below an orange sunset, with the purple kanji for "knowledge" emblazoned on the image. It was... beautiful. Kyuubi had long ago broken his addiction to the color orange, but he had to admit, the deep, almost burnt orange was still done quite tastefully. Purple, which Naruto knew from his studies to be associated with knowledge and learning, fit his tastes and obviously the tastes of his clan perfectly, and the calm, deep blue-green hinted at self-contemplation and meditation, another thing Kyuubi had drilled into him.

Finding a small set of stairs in the junction of the dinner/dance hall and two hallways leading off to offices and business chambers, he walked, almost running in his excitement, to the upper floor. Yes, he loved his family.

The entire second floor of the huge central building was a library, and even then it was obviously expanded by seals, to fit all of the books and scrolls contained within it. Walking between the rows and rows of recorded knowledge, sniffing at the air and enjoying the slightly dusty smell that accompanied such large repositories of learning, he came to a large fireplace that obviously provided heat for whoever was currently sitting in the plush chairs in front of it, and for whomever was sleeping in the simple, but soft cots that were set up beside the fireplace. They were obviously intended for people who would rather sleep in the library than return to their bedroom before finishing whatever they were doing.

It was at this point that he wondered where the light came from, since he'd seen neither torch and sconce nor electric light bulbs. The light was just... there. It was ambient, and after a half an hour of searching, a simple check for chakra identified seals on the walls and sealing that released a diffused light that was neither too bright nor too dim, so as to avoid glare and lack of reading light both. He shuddered at the master seal-work that must have gone into this house.

Before he could stop it, a yawn escaped his lips. Well, it had been a long day. Lying down on a soft cot, the boy snuggled into the sheets and feel asleep. He'd do some exploring tomorrow.

The next day, the boy did indeed explore, finding the laundry room, kitchen, several training rooms, secondary libraries, gardens stocking unusual herbs, collections of old and foreign items and artifacts, and various other places he'd explore later. Putting his dirty clothing in the laundry, to be done later in the day, he changed into a pair of forest-green hakama and went to do a little bit of training.

As the sword's blade sliced into the training dummy, cutting it from collarbone to sternum, Naruto reflected on what he needed to do in his weapon training. The cane-sword, as a tertiary weapon, and a concealed one at that, was meant to provide what his other weapons didn't. The war scythe, while incredibly deadly, left the user disadvantaged if the enemy got in too close for the long weapon to be used effectively. The ono, while it could chop through wooden logs, bones, and such easily, seriously lacked in speed and reach. The sword, while it had no glaring strengths had no such glaring weaknesses, balancing out his repertoire.

Using his hand to channel chakra into a seal placed on the ground, Naruto reformed the dummy into an undamaged one. Another genius invention of his family's. He didn't intend to focus on seals, but he wanted to have knowledge of the art that his family would have been proud of. For that was Naruto, a fuuinjutsu user (though not master), a jutsu collector and master (the two most notable recent jutsu collectors had been his mother and Orochimaru, though he shuddered at the thought of the last one), and a user of weapons in tandem with traps and other shinobi tools.

He'd rarely use all in combination in combat, preferring to keep at least some of his ability secret from the enemy, in the case that he needed an ace in the hole. Against Mizuki, he'd simply used some basic chakra-enhanced taijutsu, a C-rank jutsu that had been toned down to D-rank to simply provide a knock-back rather than wide-scale damage, and placed himself where he could land a strategic blow on the target to end the match quickly. Naruto was still probably about high-genin level in power, but he was easily jounin level in strategy and tactics.

Switching from Jigen-ryu to a stance that Kyuubi had taught him to balance out the weakness of Jigen-ryu, which was a lack of a follow-up, he began pumping chakra back and forth in his sword arm, much like a piston, and used the build-up to deliver a series of quick thrusts that left a number of small wounds in the dummy which would have individually done little, but together would seriously hamper a living combatant stricken by the barrage. Reforming the dummy again, he walked away, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow.

He'd lost track of time while he was thinking, and now it was the afternoon. Taking a quick shower in one of the central building's bathrooms, he changed into a pair of white, black, and gray camouflage cargo pants (the cow-camo color scheme of the sound ninja), his boots, and a black turtleneck sweater and went out to get something to eat, and then supplies for the home. Before slipping out the door, he tied his blond-and-white hair in a quick ponytail.

Walking down the street to Ichiraku, which he'd definitely missed during his time away, he saw two girls, one blond and one pink-haired, fighting over an obviously agitated raven-haired boy. He laughed to himself. Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke hadn't changed a bit.

The two kunoichi stopped pulling at Sasuke for a moment as Naruto passed by. He seemed familiar, somehow, but that presence was... needless to say, Sasuke flared up his chakra, like one male peacock would flare out its feathers at another, but the strange blond-ish boy simply pushed the Uchiha's chakra flare back like it was nothing and continued on his way, not sparing the trio a glance.

Naruto turned down a dark alley, because he sensed someone following him. They were obviously a civilian, judging by their severely lacking sneaking skills. Abruptly he stopped, crushing a dead leaf under his foot. Whoever it was jumped at the crackling sound. He didn't have long to wait, as he turned to see a grizzled middle aged man walking towards him with a cheap, low-grade katana.

"Well, aintcha got a lotta nerve comin' back 'ere, demon? Didn'tcha learn yer lesson last time? Do ya need to learn another lesson about how us concerned citizens feel about a demon in our midst?" The man pointed his katana at Naruto's eye and the genin recognized one of the people that held him down while his eye was gouged out with a kunai. His eyes narrowed; he wasn't planning on actively seeking revenge, but if anyone was foolish enough to try to attack him again, they were going to pay.

"I'm warning you this one time, you greasy old bastard. Stay the hell away from me and you won't get hurt." The man scowled for a second before charging Naruto. Fluidly the boy unsealed his cane-sword, blocking the strike with his half-drawn blade. The former demon container swirled backwards like a maelstrom, deflecting each and every wild swing directed at him.

A final spark of metal meeting metal flashed right next to the eyepatch, momentarily illuminating Naruto's face, and the man, even in his rage, hadn't failed to notice that the blond's teeth had sharpened and his eye was a deeper blue than normal. Twirling around, the cane-sword slashed through the air, sending the other man's katana flying through the air, and leaving a deep gash on the man's arm.

The man started to scream, but Naruto smacked him with the hilt of the cane-sword on his temple, stunning him. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt collar, Naruto pulled him in closer to his face.

Demons are, as a rule of thumb, sadistic. It is ingrained in them, even the nicest of demons, much like greed is ingrained in humans. This didn't mean that they would just torture someone for the fun of it, but some of the oldest proverbs of demonkind stated that enemies and attackers are fair game for any fun. Holding the man's face but an inch from his remaining eye, the blond part-demon whispered one simple phrase.

"_Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu..._" The man's vision suddenly changed, showing a demonic, Kyuubi-possessed Naruto slaughtering the village, along with his friends and loved ones. He began to shake in horror, but the voice came again, whispered in his ear, as soft as silk and as deadly as nightshade.

"I know what you fear, you bastard. I also know this. Does filling a glass with water make the glass water? No, it obviously doesn't. I was used as a prison for the Kyuubi, I wasn't him in human form. Do you even realize that? Here's another question. If I was the Kyuubi, why did I never pull out sudden horrific powers and slaughter you people while you beat me like a dog? Hmm... although calling me a demon brat might actually be true now, you remember that I am my own demon, and not the Kyuubi. Remember this."

Finally dispelling the illusion, Naruto picked up the now passed-out man, preparing to take him to the hospital. Maybe he went a bit far, but the man deserved it. He still wasn't going to kill him. Who knew, maybe the man would see what an idiot he had been, slim a chance as it was. After, of course, he got out of the hospital.

Taking the man to the hospital, he filed the papers, including that what he'd done was in self-defense, and waited for the police to get there. The Uchiha had previously taken care of the police force, but the Sandaime had recruited willing shinobi from the reserve, along with retired ninja, to reform it.

The old policeman who took Naruto's claim was rather portly, but Naruto could sense that he could still do damage to other ninja if the situation called for it. The man was surprisingly nice to Naruto and even mentioned afterwards that the man who was now having his arm reattached probably had deserved it. Apparently some people these days had common sense about Naruto.

Cheerful at the discovery that he wasn't universally hated anymore, Naruto went on to Ichiraku, whistling as he went.

* * *

The assembled genin-hopefuls sat in the academy classroom with varying emotions. Hinata was scared, obviously. The poor girl would do very well if she could get over her horrible self-esteem.

Shino was stoic, as usual. He was exemplary of a ninja, though his coldness could be quite off-putting to others.

Kiba was rowdy, once again as usual. The boy was a good combatant and tracker, but his mental faculties were duller than they should have been, and that would most likely prove to be his downfall.

Ino was... well, Ino. She was arguing with Sakura, and almost completely ignoring her considerable potential as a ninja. If anyone ever broke her of her fangirl tendencies, she could end up as a fine shinobi.

Shikamaru was dozing. The lazy boy was a tactical genius, even with the aforementioned laziness, and he would probably do best as a squad leader or military strategist.

Chouji was eating, of course. Despite his speed problems and pacifistic tendencies, the boy was a powerhouse, and his weight was necessary for his clan jutsu. He would do best assigned to his lazy friend's command and paired with a speed fighter or genjutsu specialist, or Shikamaru himself, since his kagemane no jutsu would work as well.

Sakura was... well, once again, Sakura. The girl was currently arguing with Ino, and her incredible book smarts and chakra control didn't quite offset her lack of training, jutsu knowledge, and general physical and other mental prowess.

Sasuke was brooding, needless to say. While fairly skilled, the boy's arrogance, bullheadedness, and overt reliance on his status as an Uchiha held him back. Enemies would capitalize on it, and he'd probably improve slightly upon gaining his sharingan, however that would present a greater superiority complex and further reliance on his blood.

Despite Iruka's best efforts, the class seriously had problems. Problems like "an angry schizophrenic midget on crack waving a torch at exploding tags" problems. They were drawn from their individual thoughts by the scarred teacher informing them that another student would be joining them, having been away for years.

"What? That's bullshit! We had to do that damn exam, so why does some idiot get to come in and just join the class this late?!" Kiba was an angry dog-boy, and Akamaru was secretly ashamed at his human, because Kiba was an idiot even by dog standards, and that's coming from the species that humps tables. It was, however, enough to get the class riled up into one of those question-asking and complaint-yelling frenzies that is the number one cause of teachers going postal. Iruka used his famous "big head no jutsu" and shut the class up, before clearing his throat to speak.

"Well class, we have twenty-six graduates, meaning that there's one less person than needed for full teams. Secondly, this person has been away training, and has been approved by the hokage himself for acceptance as a genin. In fact, he should be here in just a minute, after he's done with the requisite paperwork. Class, please welcome back Uzumaki Naruto!"

At that, most of the passing genin-hopefuls groaned. That idiot? He'd probably only been accepted because the hokage favored him. Several people complained out loud, including several no-name classmates and one pink-haired noise generator.

"That idiot?"

"He couldn't have passed fairly!"

"That baka?"

"I bet he dies on his first time out of the village!"

"Troublesome... he's been out of the village already, remember?"

"Shut up, Shikamaru!"

"Yeah, stop trying to bring common sense into an idiot's argument."

"Yeah, well Akamaru and me think- wait, who the hell said that?!"

(A/N: I'm not sure if it's obvious enough, but I know that it would be "Akamaru and I". Kiba's just an idiot.)

Iruka's mouth twitched several times as he held in his laughter. Apparently Naruto knew a good ventriloquism jutsu. The class was prevented from descending into further chaos by the opening of the door. Everyone was expecting some loud outburst and the familiar orange-wearing blond idiot to rush in. Instead they got an almost unrecognizable young man wearing the same combat shirt and dark blue pants as he wore when visiting the sandaime.

Jaws dropped open. Fingers were pointed. Inarticulate questions were asked. Brooding was done, though the last could only be attributed to the little lump of emo called Sasuke. This wasn't what the class was expecting.

As usual, one of the most noticeable things was the eye-patch. Some people grimaced. Some people thought it was hot (Hinata and Ino, though neither would admit it). Some people smirked to themselves and wrote it off as the "dobe" doing something stupid.

As Naruto made a strangely winding and roundabout path to a seat in the back, which most people wrote off to themselves as some kind of stupidity or maybe brain damage, Shikamaru privately snickered. Recognition flashed on Sakura's face as Naruto sat down.

Someone with more common sense would have said something later, but Sakura decided to stand up and shout now.

"Hey, Naruto-baka! You're the one that ignored Sasuke-kun the other day!"

The reply was calmer and sarcastic than anything anyone was expecting out of the blond.

"Well, well, Haruno-_hime_, I wasn't expecting that I had to stop to worship the great last member of the emo brigade- I mean Uchiha clan."

Mouths dropped open. Here Naruto was, calmly insulting his old crush and the Uchiha in the same sentence! Sasuke glared at the Uzumaki, whilst Sakura decided to do another idiotic thing. Namely, shout and rush at Naruto with her fist raised.

"What was that, baka?! How dare you- argh!"

As Shikamaru descended into full-blown laughter, Sakura abruptly tripped and fell on her face with a rather loud "thud".

"Troublesome, Sakura-san. Didn't you see the ninja wire Naruto put there? He drew you into a trap."

Sakura's face, though it was currently being intimate with the floor, had turned a rather angry red, and the rest of the class was torn between laughing and being shocked at Naruto's trap-laying skills. After a second, the pinkette pulled herself up and began to rush Naruto again.

"I'll kill you, Naruto-bak- argh!"

Thud.

"Ne, Haruno-san, I think Sasuke might be getting jealous of all the attention you're giving the floor."

"I'm going to kill you, Uzumak- argh!"

Thud.

Iruka slammed his head into his desk. Repeatedly. While he was proud of Naruto's trap-making skills, did he have to booby trap the classroom?

While Iruka tried to read off the team assignments, the class fell into further chaos as Sakura finally gave up and walked back to her seat, only to detonate a smoke bomb that left a yellow, foul-smelling odor. Kiba desperately tried to get away from the smell, his eyes watering and his sensitive nose going crazy, only to trip over another wire, this one apparently trapped, and set to start a chain reaction. Water balloons were launched, wooden kunai hit people in the ass, and several people were doused with what smelled suspiciously like lighter fluid.

Damn, the spark traps hadn't gone off. Naruto still leaned back and sighed happily. If anything, his pranking skills had gotten much better, and now showed a bit of the sadism that was somewhat ingrained in him by now. After rattling off the members of team six, Iruka finally got to team seven.

"Team seven consists of... Uchiha Sasuke..."

The chaos calmed down and rapt eyes stared down at the tanned teacher. Bated breaths waited for the rest of the listing. Time drew out, a second seemingly lasting an hour...

"Haruno Sakura..."

Sakura jumped up in the air and cheered, with mysterious confetti falling around her, and the rest of the room darkened as a spotlight focused on her. No one except Shikamaru had noticed it, but this was also the doing of the Uzumaki. This was obviously the work of...

"and Uzumaki Naruto, led by Hatake Kakashi. Now, team eight consists of..."

Eventually the teams were listed and the various jounin team leaders came and went, although Yuuhi Kurenai did pause to ask Kiba why his eyes were puffed up and his coat was singed. Iruka left the room after ten minutes, sighing in pity for team seven.

He knew Kakashi would be late... and he dearly hoped that Sakura didn't get killed by any traps before he got there. Fortunately, she seemed to give up going after Naruto and proceeded to fawn over Sasuke.

Three hours passed, with the various genin doing various things to pass the time. Sasuke brooded, Sakura fawned over him and complained about being bored, and Naruto had taken a book out of a sealing scroll and was reading. Finally the cyclops jounin opened the classroom door.

Nothing happened. At least, Sakura and Sasuke thought nothing happened. Kakashi felt a piece of ninja wire pull a note into his pocket. Pulling it out, he discreetly read it.

_Dear Kakashi-sensei,_

_Two of the members of this team are idiots. Oh, and take a step to the left._

Kakashi smiled to himself and took a step to the right, smirking to himself and thinking he'd avoided an obvious prank. Naruto was apparently one of the idiots. He felt something sticky splat on to his head, honey if his nose was correct. Then he heard an angry buzzing sound. Okay, maybe Naruto wasn't such an idiot.

"My first impression... I hate all of you. Meet me on the roof in ten minutes."

Kakashi then shunshined away just in time to avoid a swarm of bees that rushed in from the window. Pausing for a second, the bees flew back outside, as two members of the team stared. Naruto used their momentary distraction to do a shunshin of his own, because he didn't want to reveal that he knew the jutsu already. He left the other two to recompose themselves and walk to their destination.

Naruto arrived on the roof just as Kakashi himself got there, having quickly washed out his hair beforehand. Ignoring the questioning glances of the older ninja, he sat down and continued reading his book.

After ten minutes, the other two had arrived, and Kakashi began the first team meeting of team seven...

"Alright, let's introduce ourselves. State your name, age, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, and any useful or interesting tidbits, like specializations, favorite colors, and why you want to be a ninja. You first, pinky."

Sakura turned red and almost growled at the nickname, but was interrupted from her feminine rage by confusion.

"I'm not sure I get it. Why don't you start as an example, Kakashi-sensei?"

"... Alright. My name is Hatake Kakashi, I'm... well, suffice to say I'm in my prime. I like some things (_Icha Icha_), I have a few dislikes (_anti-perverts, Gai, hard work_), my hobbies are my own (_Icha Icha_), I don't think you need to know my dreams (_train Sasuke for Obito's sake... and get a signed copy of Icha Icha_), and I don't feel like listing any extra information."

_'Of course he wasn't going to actually state anything.'_ Naruto chuckled at the frustration on Sakura's face.

"Well... alright, then. I'm Haruno Sakura, age thirteen, and my likes are Sasuke-kun, my dislikes are Naruto-baka and Ino-pig. My hobbies (insert look at Sasuke), and my dreams (insert shifty rape-eyes at Sasuke and a squeal), and I have good chakra control. My favorite color is pink, and I want to be a ninja because... well..."

Sakura trailed off at that, but it was obvious to Kakashi and Naruto both why. She only wanted to be a ninja because of Sasuke, which even she knew was a horrible reason. Sasuke discreetly did the only thing he had done all day that Naruto agreed with, which was trying to put as much distance between himself and the pinkette as possible.

"Well, alright. You next, Sasuke."

A dramatic wind blew through the air, dramatically ruffling Sasuke's dramatic hair as he looked up dramatically from his dramatic pose and stared dramatically at Kakashi. Oh, hell. This boy was a fucking head case. And his hair looked like the ass end of a duck... an emo duck.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I'm thirteen, I have few likes, many dislikes, my hobby is training, and my dream... no (insert another dramatic wind here) my ambition... is to kill a certain man... I specialize in katon jutsu, kunai throwing, and anything I wish to do. I am the best... I am an Uchiha..."

"Damn, I think little red lines just appeared on my wrist from the amount of emo in the air..."

Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura all glared at Naruto, who simply shrugged and began his introduction.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, well, that's not my full name, but it'll do for now. I'm thirteen, I like ramen, collecting jutsu, and a few other things I don't feel like telling you. I dislike bigots, fangirls, carrots, and the sharingan."

At this, he was cut off by all three of his new "team members".

"Now, Naruto. Be respectful, the sharingan is a valuable doujutsu."

"Shut up, dobe. You need to recognize the superiority of the Uchiha."

"Yeah, you're just jealous of Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto glared at all of them, and only Kakashi managed to stay perfectly calm under his gaze, and it was barely even for him. Sasuke and Sakura both visibly flinched and paled. Being the apprentice of a greater demon did wonders for your killing intent.

"It's used to steal jutsu and those who have it rely on it too much. It's prized among stupid jutsu collectors, when the real jutsu collectors work for their jutsu. Yes, Kakashi-sensei, that means you, too."

The silver-haired jounin's eye widened at that.

"What, you think I haven't read the bingo book? Any good shinobi keeps themselves well-informed, copy cat ninja 'Sharingan no Kakashi'."

Visibly recoiling at that, Kakashi glared at his student. He probably would have gotten along better with the old Naruto, but this one... Sasuke stared at Kakashi and wondered about the sharingan. Sakura simply hugged Sasuke.

"Anyway, back to my introduction, which was so rudely interrupted, my hobbies are various, some examples being gardening and calligraphy, and my dreams... well, I might shoot for the top spot, for Hokage, but my main dream isn't something I share with people. I specialize in... well, you'll all find out, since I'm sure there's some kind of team exercise soon... anything else, you'll discover if I wish you to."

Damn, the kid had taken a page out of Kakashi's book. He'd revealed a couple of things and used a long-winded explanation to make it seem like he'd told more than he really had. What had happened to the naive idiot that Kakashi was expecting?

The silver-haired jounin sighed, and stood up, immediately getting the attention of the three genin.

"Well, that's enough for today, everyone. Meet me at training ground ten tomorrow at seven AM sharp. Oh, and don't eat breakfast or you might throw up."

With that, Kakashi pulled out his favorite orange book, giggled, and disappeared in a shunshin. Naruto just sat there while Sasuke and Sakura left, the two grumbling about their new sensei. After they were gone, he got up and darted off.

Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto had some work to do.

* * *

Coming back to his house later that night, Naruto felt quite satisfied. He'd done some wonderful preparations for tomorrow. Sliding open the door, he kicked off his boots and noticed that there was yet another pair of boots in the foyer. A pair of boots that could only belong to his sensei.

Sighing, he walked down the hall as his mood took a slightly darker turn. Yeah, he'd had some fun today. But what was the point of it all? This village would never accept him, not fully. He might gain a bit of respect from some of the village, but he'd never truly gain their trust. To top it all off, he had a strange feeling, one that could turn out to be either catastrophic or wonderful, but it was too shadowed to tell. His socked feet padded noiselessly across the blue-green carpet, and his right hand trailed down the red cherry wood walls.

He grabbed a simple cup of instant ramen, and after pouring the hot water into it, he walked into the dining hall to find his aniki. Kyuubi was wearing a simple red t-shirt and black jeans, with his feet propped up on the table, smoking his old long-pipe. The elder demon looked over at him and grinned.

"Hey, little bro! I heard about your team. A lazy pervert, a fan girl, and an emo-duck. Sounds fun."

Naruto gave him a quick glare, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Fun?"

"Well, okay, maybe slightly less fun that getting stabbed in the balls with a pitchfork, but still."

Sighing, Naruto gulped down his ramen, got up, and gave the Kyuubi a brotherly hug, before sitting back down. Despite the fact that they tended to argue, they'd missed each other, and the past three years had led to a close bond between the two. Naruto snorted and put his feet up on the table as well.

"By the way, where do you get off? Don't answer that, it was a figure of speech."

Kyuubi shut his mouth. He had indeed been about to tell his little brother, just to mess with him.

"What I meant is, you yourself are a lazy pervert. Kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"

His reply was a grunt.

"Yeah, but am I ever three hours late? And I don't read smut in public."

"You were four hours late that one time you drank an entire barrel of sake and barfed on that head monk who was in town. You would have been later if I didn't come to bail you out of jail."

"Well, he shouldn't have been lecturing me on the 'evils of hedonism'."

"You shoved a sake bottle up his... never mind..."

The two sat there, talking amicably, and occasionally bickering back and forth. It had been a long time since they'd had a chance to just sit and talk like brothers. Several hours went by, and the two retired to the library, where both of them would be sleeping, Naruto because he had gotten used to sleeping there, and Kyuubi because he had research to do.

As Naruto flopped down on his soft cot, Kyuubi took a chair and gave Naruto a serious look. There were a few things that he needed to tell Naruto, some of them good... and some not...

"Little bro..."

A blue eye was upon him in an instant. This was obviously something serious. Kyuubi smiled slightly, then his face fell into a deadly calm look.

"I have good news, and I have bad news. The bad news isn't quite solid, but it's something I'm not willing to discount."

Naruto sat up, and nodded.

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is that I've completed the seal to free the other bijuu from some of the other jinchuuriki. So far, I have Shukaku's and Nibi's done. I've also made some progress on isolating the affects of the sharingan on myself. Beforehand, a sharingan with three tomoe in both eyes could suppress my chakra. Now, only a mangekyo can do it."

The blond smiled slightly at that, but the look on his older brother's face wiped it off very quickly.

"Then, I have several pieces of bad news. One, the villagers have noticed your... demonic influence. It's not publicly visible yet, but I have heard whispering in the shadows... whispers that bode ill for you. I hate to say it brat, but your goal to reach the office of the Hokage may be something you have to let go of. Second, Akatsuki seems to be taking a different direction than we originally thought. Rather than just using their primary members, they are beginning to employ agents."

"Agents, aniki?"

"Yes, they're scattering people to the four corners of the earth, gathering information and attacking allies of the jinchuuriki, along with accomplishing some of Akatsuki's other, smaller goals. These people are like puppets, they aren't like the sleeper agent we found in Mizu no Kuni. These ones know what their objective is, but they lack some of the base instincts, such as fear. They'd happily charge to their death, and there's some kind of mental block on any secret information they might know. Attempts at interrogation have always ended with the subject abruptly dying. So we can't glean any secrets from them."

Naruto was shell-shocked. This could be, scratch that, was really, really bad for them and anyone else involved. The information about the villagers he'd been expecting, it didn't overly surprise him. However, these new Akatsuki agents... and the more Kyuubi talked about it, the more they seemed to blend in with normal people, before suddenly banding together into small or large groups and hitting their objective with all they had. This was a new danger to demon vessels all of it's own.

"And... the third piece of bad news..."

Naruto looked up. Third piece? Kyuubi usually listed things by magnitude, with the biggest thing last. What the hell was this that was bigger than the new akatsuki splinter organization?

"I'm not sure why, Naruto... but I can sense something big on the horizon. It's ominous... dangerous. It could be a help or a hindrance, but whatever it is, if it isn't going to be a help, it's dangerous. More so than the akatsuki splinter group. I can feel the clouds of change on the horizon. There's a wave approaching, one that gives no guarantee that we'll be left standing afterwards."

He didn't know how to respond to that. Kyuubi didn't say it, but it was clear on his face.

Whatever this was, it was enough to actually scare the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The strongest demon of all sensed something that made him afraid.

* * *

Naruto's dreams that night were troubled. Through his vision flashed scenes that couldn't have come from his memory. He saw an ancient stone temple in a faraway jungle. The foliage was lush, the stones old but strong. Moss was underneath his feet, and the blue sky seemed nothing but peaceful.

People lived their lives in peace, living in harmony with the world, and through their bond called upon wondrous powers that put anything done with chakra to shame. These people took care of the land, and were somehow connected to the very life of the planet itself. Sadness, hate, envy, all of the petty negative emotions were nonexistent.

This was a utopia.

(A/N: for the architecture, if anyone's curious, go to youtube and search "megan fi". It's an area from the Dot Hack series, and I modeled the architecture after it.)

Then it all went wrong. In a flash, the sky was blood red, and a gray rain fell from the sky, though there wasn't a cloud in sight. Everything was tinged red, as far as the eye could see, all throughout the forest, and even the ancient, steadfast temple itself.

That might have been due to the flames that blazed everywhere. The plants popped and crackled as the fluids inside them vaporized, trees fell with crashes, and animals ran for their lives, only to die from heat or smoke inhalation. The temple, the timeless structure that stood taller than the hokage mountain was crumbling, shaking.

The people from that time gone by ran to and fro, most of them trying to save themselves and others, or the plants and animals they could. However, they all died, some from the fire, and some from an unseen force. In a matter of hours, this great era had been torn asunder.

The very earth beneath Naruto's feet shook, and it seemed as if the world was screaming. A tear fell down the blond's cheek, though he knew not why. What he was playing witness to had happened untold millenia ago. He didn't know how he knew it, but he did.

A sound echoed out, one that no mortal could truly comprehend, somewhere between the crossroads of a scream, a crack, and silence, and the sky above shattered. The very seams of space-time and reality began to break, and cracks appeared in the wind, the sky itself splintering.

The ground blasted open, and the planet died.

The ancient, peaceful world was devastated. Nothing but ashes remained, but after several eons, life sprung anew. The sky returned, and the winds were born anew. The planet slowly came back together, and energy began to flow across the world once more. This life lacked the magic of the old world, but the people still tried to live in harmony with the planet.

This life was much more painful. Women died in childbirth, men and women both died in wars that had inexplicably become necessary.

However, through it all, the people remained, for the most part, happy. They fought for, both physically and mentally, their happiness, and strove towards understanding. Small villages popped up, and trade, along with the introduction of methods to carve out a living in the harsh areas that had come into existence, drew the world into an era, once again, of peace.

The peace was this time much weaker than it had been in the old world, but it was peace all the same, and wars ended, while medicine and the sciences improved life for all. Once again, happiness had been found.

Yet the wave came again. Plagues, incurable sickness, swept the earth, and people died by the millions. Fire rained from the skies, tsunamis larger than should be possible ravaged the shores, and the land was swept with destruction once more.

Naruto watched as the world was once again wiped clean and left a blank, dead slate. Once again, the world was reborn.

This one was strange, different. It had far greater pain than ever before, yet this was now due to the humans. Technology and learning progressed far beyond what they ever had before, and all natural deaths, save old age, were a thing of the past. Old age itself was nearly defeated.

The world once again grew to small tribes, villages, and fiefdoms at first, but it soon shot far past that, turning into large-scale governments. Swords, knives, and other melee weapons fell to the wayside, as strange pole-like weapons appeared, ones that with the press of a button unleashed some sort of explosion, killing easily from a distance.

Strange metal shells moved people from place to place, and weapons development pushed farther and farther forward. At times, it seemed that people would just war for the stupidest reasons, religion, cultural differences, grudges between rulers, and sometimes there was no reason at all.

Though the natural pains had been wiped out by the humans themselves, they foolishly wasted this, and caused themselves once again untold pain.

Then it happened. An explosion wiped an entire city from the face of the earth. Eventually, people began to regulate these weapons, or tried to. All it took was a stupid disagreement between several of the world powers, and the weapons that the people used 'with responsibility' were suddenly being thrown around like kunai.

This time, it was the humans themselves. They destroyed themselves, and cracked open the very earth beneath them. A small number of survivors tried to survive, but where the people themselves had done most of the work, the wave came back to finish what the humans themselves had done this time.

The next era was not as technologically advanced, and was in fact closer to the second era than the third. However, the wave came again. And again, and again, and again. Naruto watched as era after era passed, civilizations within an era of humanity changed, rose and fell, all to be destroyed in the end of the era by the mysterious wave.

Some eras were more advanced or more primitive than others, or specialized in certain things, but they all fell beneath the wave. A pit of dread opened up in Naruto's stomach. Could this never be stopped? What was the wave, anyway? Was everything, in the end, destined to burn?

Also, where were the bijuu? He knew that the bijuu had been around since the beginning of the earth, but... ah, there they were. The presences that he now identified as the bijuu, because the greatest was familiar to him, were returning from slumber. They had indeed been there from the beginning, but for some reason they fell asleep with the advent of the wave, each time the world ended.

Then he saw something familiar. Indeed, he saw something of legend in the shinobi world. The legendary sage of six paths, wielding the supreme doujutsu, the harbinger of change, the rinnegan. He traveled the Elemental Countries, even making a few trips beyond the mists that separated the Elemental Countries from the rest of the world, which was a wild, nearly untouched and uninhabited place.

Teaching chakra usage and birthing ninjutsu, the sage preached peace, hoping to create a Utopian world once more. He saw the sage near the end of his life, and the man brought his two potential successors before him. The younger half-brother of the two would go on to found the Senju clan, whilst the older, who possessed one of the earliest bloodlines, the byakugan, would go on to found the Uchiha, and create a different doujutsu entirely.

The old legend stated that the sage chose the younger, who's message was love, and specialized in life force and physical energies inherited from the sage. The older half-brother, who's creed was rule through fear and hate, and specialized in the strong chakras and mental energies inherited from the sage, was said to have not accepted this, and started the never ending hatred between the two bloodlines.

That was, however, far from the truth. The sage regretfully told both brothers that they were unsuitable, as the Senju was too trusting and lacked a powerful mental energy, while the Uchiha lacked love and did not carry the requisite life force. The brothers had held the folly of focusing only on their specialties, and did not attempt to improve where they were lacking. The rikudou sennin expressed that maybe one of the two, or a descendant of theirs might eventually show the prowess for change.

Then, with these last words of disappointment, but hope, the sage passed away.

Angered, the two brothers blamed each other like small children, and birthed the hatred between what would grow to be the two clans. Naruto could feel, to his horror, the wave itself in the bond of hatred, thrumming in contentment.

Time passed, and two men, each a member of one of the two clans bonded together, and founded what would come to be Konoha. These men were the best of friends, and the wave shivered in anger. They possessed, together, the qualities the sage had entailed to be the hope of the future.

Something broke, and the member of the Uchiha, Madara, gave in to the wave, and to hatred. The two men, once as brothers holding a bond of love, now battled like the bitterest of enemies. Madara was struck down at the valley of the end, and his presence began to fade.

However, something unexpected happened. Senju Hashirama, the shodaime hokage, let a tear fall, pained at the loss of the man who was more brother to him than his blood brother. This tear mixed into the essence of Madara, and Madara began to come back, now sadly twisted by the wave.

Hashirama, weakened by the battle, died not long after, and Madara had vanished, hidden somewhere in the world. The wave had manipulated the power of the hope that the two possessed to further it's own intentions.

As time began to flit by again, Naruto wondered. He could feel the approach of the wave, but the bijuu were awake. It seemed that the new interactions between the bijuu and the humans, that had not happened since the first time, the time when humans were attuned to the world, had changed something. The hand of the rikudou sennin could be felt in this change.

Then, Naruto saw before him, a boy close to his age. This boy had red hair, and a soft look on his face, like he wouldn't hurt a fly. The boy possessed the rinnegan, and Naruto could feel in him the hope that the first sage had wished for, the hope that had once existed between Madara and Hashirama.

The wave, however had different plans. It manipulated things once again, and pain, coupled with hatred, replaced the hope in the boy. He became a man, but he was now a shadow of his previous self.

Overwhelmed, Naruto looked away. Twice he had seen hope, and twice that hope was shattered. At this rate the world would... everything around him faded to a gray, the equivalent of nothingness.

Besides himself, there was one thing left. In front of him stood the boy from before, the boy with the rinnegan. He had been pushed away by the pain that turned his older self into a shadow, but he was still there, hidden beneath the surface. And his hope remained, but it was not strong enough anymore, not by itself.

He possessed all the qualities that the sage had wished for, yet they were not strong enough, not by themselves.

The boy turned, and did something no one in the vision had yet. He looked straight at Naruto, and when he turned to look at him, two eyes appeared behind the boy. They were the rinnegan, floating there in the air, full of hope, and the promise of change. They looked solid, strangely enough for a vision, and even left a shadow of inverted colors of themselves on the ground. Naruto felt like touching the eyes, but shook that childish though away, and looked back to the boy.

The boy's eyes asked a question, though Naruto knew not what it was, and he held out a hand. Naruto stretched his own hand forth, and the world flickered for a moment.

Naruto then woke up sweating. He looked to his right and saw the Kyuubi snoring in a chair. Falling back onto his pillow, he knew one thing.

That was no normal dream. It had some relevance to the future, but only time would tell.

* * *

A/N: I was going to go on and have the bell test in this chapter, but it ended up getting too long, and I'll do it next chapter.

Well, anyway, whew... the dream, by the way, is the first hint at the main, final plot of the story. A few things will progress towards that in the near future, but the beginning of that final arc itself is far away from now.

Eventual pairings:

Naruto/Karin

Kyuubi/Shukaku

Once again, if anyone wants any other pairings, ask me and I'll try to include, so long as I don't have a reason for not doing it, or that person is slated to be in a different pairing that I'm not revealing until it happens.

Jutsu list:

Magen: Narakumi no jutsu- Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing- Genjutsu, D-rank- this jutsu forces the target to see a horrifying vision.

I'm tired as fuck right now, and so I'll probably mention anything I forgot to mention in the author's notes of next chapter.

Please read and review, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.


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